Method of making hour symbols for timepiece dials



Nov. 29, 1966 PlERRE-EDOUARD BEYELER E A 3,287,798

METHOD OF MAKING HOUR SYMBOLS FOR TIMEPIECE DIALS Filed Oct. 12, 1964 INVENTORS. Pierre-Edouard Jean Maurice BEYELER and BEYELER ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,287,798 METHOD OF MAKING HOUR SYMBOLS FOR TIMEPIECE DIALS Pierre-Edouard Beyeler and Jean Maurice Beyeler, Geneva, Switzerland, assignors to Beyeler & Co. S.A., Geneva, Switzerland, :1 firm of Switzerland Filed Oct. 12, 1964, Ser. No. 403,296 4 Claims. (Cl. 29-177) This invention relates to a method of manufacturing hour symbols for the dials of timepieces and to the symbols obtained by the use of this method.

Hour symbols, known as appliques, which are designed to be attached to such dials, have heretofore been obtained by stamping or cutting, or a combination of these two operations, and only their top faces are thereafter machined, if necessary. The drawback of these methods resides mainly in the fact that the lateral faces of the symbols present a surface condition and have an inclination as determined by the method employed.

We have observed that the general appearance of a dial can be greatly improved by machining the lateral faces of the symbols, or at least the main lateral faces thereof. Contrary to what might have been supposed, and although these lateral faces are very small, their surface condition and also the state of the edges separating them from the adjacent faces play a certain aesthetic role.

The method of this invention is characterized in that blanks of the symbols are first formed and then at least the two larger lateral faces of the blanks are machined by removing material, thereby producing the major portion at least of the final contour of the symbols.

A number of embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example in the drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a parallelepipedal blank of an hour symbol for a timepiece dial;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary view in top plan of a mount on which the blanks of the symbols are placed;

FIGURE 3 is a section of a detail on the line IIIIII of FIG. 2;

FIGURE 4 shows a part of the mount illustrated in FIGURE 2, in section as in FIGURE 3, and also a part of a machining installation;

FIGURE 5 shows the same part of the mount, likewise in section, but with another machining installation;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of a part of the mount shown in FIGURE 2, the latter being used with a third machining installation;

FIGURE 7 is a section on the line Vl1-VII of FIG- URE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a section of a part of another embodiment of a mount carrying a blank of an hour symbol;

FIGURES 9 to are end views of seven constructional forms of hour symbols;

FIGURES 16 to 21 are side views of six constructional forms of hour symbols on a smaller scale.

Referring to the drawing, the symbol blank shown in FIGURE 1 has a parallelepipedal body 1 provided with two feet or pins for fixing the symbol to the dial. This blank may be produced by any suitable method, such as stamping, cutting, a combination of these two methods, or some other method. The feet 2, or their equivalents (tongues or other means), may be attached to body 1 of the blank or may be produced unitaril with said body.

For the purpose of machining the large lateral faces 3 of blanks 1, the latter are placed on their sides on a mounting plate 4, which is circular as illustrated (FIG- URE 2), and provided with apertures having the form of the blanks when viewed in section (FIGURE 4).

"ice v The bodies of blanks 1 are engaged under friction in the apertures in plate 4, the height of which is less than the ,width of the blanks, so that the latter may therefore project outwardly from each of the two faces of the plate.

This enables each of the large lateral faces 3 of the blanks 1 to be machined by means of a diamond chisel 5, for example, carried by a rotating disc 6, the blanks resting on a working table 7 (FIGURE 4) upon a set of their faces 3. When one set of the faces 3 of'the blanks has been machined in this way, the mounting plate is turned over to enable the opposite set of faces to be machined. 1 Y 1 As shown in FIGURE 5, it is also possible to work the two sets of faces 3 of the blanks 1 simultaneously by means of two cutting tools, for example two diamonds, only the circular supports 8 of which are shown, the mounting plate 4 being gripped between the jaws of a vice.

While the blanks are still in position in the mounting plate 4 and by cutting into latter, it is also possible to machine the small lateral faces of the blanks, indicated by the reference 10 in FIGURE 6, by means of two profiled diamond chisels shown diagrammatically at 11 which bites into the mounting plate 4. A chisel 12, shown in chaindotted lines in FIGURE 6, will enable the top faces 13 of the blanks to be machined. For such operations, the blanks themselves must be gripped in a vice, as for example by means of vices having star-shaped jaws, such as the jaws 14 shown in FIGURES 6 and 7.

In order to locate the blanks 1 in the apertures in the mount 4, they can be treated one by one by using, for instance, a distributing apparatus bringing them each into the reqired position in succession, or, where blanks are obtained by cutting, they can be cut out in a relative position identical to that which they must occupy on the mount and the sheet itself out of which they are cut and into which they are partially replaced can be used as a positioning element enabling them to be brought simultaneously opposite the apertures in the mounting plate 4 for the purpose of inserting them thereinto by means of a press.

It is also possible, particularly in the case of hour symbols made of base metal, where the waste of material is of little importance, to use the sheet out of which the symbols have been cut and into which they will have been replaced as a mounting plate.

FIGURE 8 shows a variant in which the mounting plate, only part of which is shown and is indicated by the reference 15, has an annular groove 16 into which blanks 1, laid on their sides and kept in position by means of a layer of cement 17, are partially inserted. On the machining of the second lateral face 3 of the blanks 1, it will be advantageous to coat the first face 3 with a protective layer of cellulose varnish.

In special cases, the lateral faces of the blanks may be machined by treating them individually, as for example by gripping them in a vice, without departing from the scope of this invention.

FIGURES 9 to 15 show seven different hour symbols 18 to 24 as seen in end elevation. It will be seen that large lateral faces and likewise the top face or faces of the symbol may have different profiles, these profiles being obtained by means of profiled cutting tools of corresponding pattern.

Likewise, FIGURES 16 to 21 show six hour symbols 25 to 30 as seen in side elevation. These drawings show the profiles which the small lateral faces of the symbols and also their top faces may have.

The machining of the lateral faces of the symbols will enable them to .be given various surface appearances,

. 3' such as a brightly polished, facetted, grooved or decorated appearance.

What we claim is:

1. In a method of manufacturing hour symbols for timepiece dials, the steps of, forming blanks of the symbols, frictionally engaging the blanks edgewise in apertures in a plate support so that opposite faces of the 'blanks project outwardly from the plate support, and U simultaneously removing material by machining from the opposite faces of the blanks by means of two rotating tools.

2. In the method as set forth in claim 1, in which diamond tools are used for the machining.

3. In the method as set forth in claim '1, in Which' References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Bottum.

Hertner et al. 2697 Cook 264-277 Mershon 9011 Reeves.

Sundback 113-1 Sundback 29-423 X Dupertius 51125 Barnes 51-277 X Stern 29177 Vogt 29-177 15 JOHN F. CAMPBELL, Primary Examiner.

THOMAS H. EAGER, Examiner. 

1. IN A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING HOUR SYMBOLS FOR TIMEPIECE DIALS, THE STEPS OF, FORMING BLANKS OF THE SYMBOLS, FRICTIONALLY ENGAGING THE BLANKS EDGEWISE IN APERTURES IN A PLATE SUPPORT SO THAT OPPOSITE FACES OF THE BLANKS PROJECT OUTWARDLY FROM THE PLATE SUPPORT, AND SIMULTANEOUSLY REMOVING MATERIAL BY MACHINING FROM THE OPPOSITE FACES OF THE BLANKS BY MEANS OF TWO ROTATING TOOLS. 